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About Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry is a journalist and an educator who has covered the graphic communications industry since 1984. The author of many hundreds of articles on business trends and technological developments in graphic communications, he has been published in most of the leading trade media in the field. He also has taught graphic communications as an adjunct lecturer for New York University and New York City College of Technology. The holder of numerous awards for industry service and education, Henry is currently the managing director of Liberty or Death Communications, a content consultancy.
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Discussion
By Robert Lindgren on Nov 25, 2013
Frank, I’ve known you for almost forty years first as a typography guru an then as a guru about everything print, but when I read the first two paragraphs beginning “Last week with little or no public announcement…” and then “It is rumored…” I couldn’t believe that you were so out of the loop. I could only conclude that your piece was written some months ago and just made it to the internet. The changes at PIA have been discussed for the better part of a year, mandated by its Board of Directors in June, approved by its Officers, its Finance Committee and unanimously approved by the Affiliate Association Managers and the Board of Directors in Chicago on November 17th. A detailed outline of the changes was broadly distributed on November 19th after the affected staff was notified.
More importantly, the changes preserve the key strengths of PIA in federal government affairs, environmental health and safety, technical knowledge, human resources and industry economics. By moving to sell an unneeded 55,000 sq. ft. facility PIA will release a substantial amount of capital to provide an earnings stream to fund continued service to member firms. PIA and its Affiliated Associations are working together better than ever to provide value for industry firms as evidenced by the expansion of the peer groups, the addition of buying power programs and the enhanced focus on digital opportunities. We will be aggressively pursuing an effort to explain to all industry firms the power of PIA membership as an essential tool to enable them to stay competitive and grow.
Yes, changes have been made. Just as every firm has had to accommodate changed reality. A failure to do so would have been a disastrous failure on the part of the PIA leadership. That didn’t happen. PIA remains the world’s largest printing industry trade association and is fully committed to continued service to our industry.
Bob Lindgren, President
Printing Industries Association of Southern California